Chicago Bears: Bold predictions for 2021 NFL Draft picks
By Ryan Heckman
Bold predictions for Chicago Bears rookies Dazz Newsome and Khalil Herbert
Dazz Newsome will attempt a pass as a rookie
This is a more unconventional bold prediction, but there’s a little bit of reasoning behind it. It’s not exactly a complete shot in the dark. The Bears haven’t used a position player to attempt a pass since 2018 when both Anthony Miller and Tarik Cohen did so. Matt Nagy came to Chicago as a creative offensive play-caller, but over the last two years, he hasn’t had the personnel to be as creative as he would like.
Newsome attempted one pass in college at North Carolina, completing it for a whopping 43 yards. So, he’s done it — and he will do it again this season as a rookie.
Khalil Herbert will return a kick for a touchdown
The first bold prediction in regards to rookie running back Khalil Herbert is that he will win the kick returning job, previously held by Cordarrelle Patterson. Last year at Virginia Tech, Herbert returned 16 kicks for 430 yards — an average of 26.9 yards. But, he never got into the end zone.
This is actually quite bold because Herbert doesn’t possess blazing speed. He’s more of a calculated runner who can bounce off tackles. But, there will be one time this season that the stars align (along with his blockers) and Herbert takes one back to the house.